By Brother Matt Henson
As a preacher’s kid, I literally grew up in the church. We would attend Sunday morning worship and Sunday evening worship. For the most part, our Sunday morning worship songs would come from the hymnal, while the Sunday evening songs would incorporate another smaller songbook that included choruses and newer songs that were not in our hymnal. These were often called camp meeting songs. Over the years, I have found myself returning to some of these choruses and worship songs because of their simplicity and repetition.
In one of the churches, we had the Country & Western Gospel Hymnal, in our hymnal racks. This small spiral bound book featured more than 100 songs and was published in 1972. One of the songs we would often sing prior to our community prayer time was, Whisper a Prayer. This simple song has an anonymous tune composer and was originally copyrighted by John T Benson in 1944.
The lyrics are simple and often this song is considered a “children’s song.” Yet, the words speak to the simplicity of the invitation for us to pray when we sing:
“Whisper a prayer in the morning,
Whisper a prayer at noon,
Whisper a prayer in the evening,
To keep your heart in tune.”
In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 we are encouraged to “pray without ceasing” and in the normal rhythm of life in the Jewish Temple, there were three prayer times (morning, noon, and evening). With this rhythm of life with an invitation to pause and focus our attention on the Lord, we become more in tune with God’s will and our recognition of the Lord being with us.
The song continues with a promise:
“God answers prayer in the morning,
God answers prayer at noon,
God answers prayer in the evening
To keep your heart in tune.”
In Matthew 7:7-8 Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” In James we read, “You do not have because you do not ask God” (4:2b). The invitation to pray as part of our daily rhythm comes with the promise of a God who hears and acts on our prayers. When we need peace; he answers. When we need direction; he answers. When we need strength; he answers.
How would our lives be different if we prayed in the morning, at noon, and in the evening? Would we become more aware of God’s hand at work in our lives? Would we be more in tune with God’s will and at greater peace in our daily lives? I want to invite us to “pray without ceasing” and see what God will do.
Prayer: Lord, I fail so often in the busyness of life to stop and communicate with you. Forgive me and strengthen me to instill the rhythm of prayer into my daily life. I want my life to be in tune with you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
